The Full Story
My name is Craig Harrison.
I served 22 years in the British Army, most of that as a sniper with the Blues and Royals. From 2009 to 2017, I held the world record for the longest confirmed sniper kill in combat — 2,475 metres.
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That shot made headlines, but what came after never did.
Behind the skill and discipline was a man carrying the weight of ten tours across Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans.
I left the military with complex PTSD — the kind you can’t see, but feel every day. And like many veterans, I found the support system waiting for me wasn’t enough. I was trained to survive in warzones, but nothing prepared me for what happens when the war comes home with you.
Since childhood, nature had always been a place of calm for me.
After leaving the Army, I turned back to it — not just as a retreat, but as a way to heal. I studied survival full-time, qualified as an instructor, and slowly began reconnecting with the parts of myself I thought I’d lost. That journey led to the creation of Maverick Survival School — now a registered charity — and a space for others to do the same.
At Maverick, we don’t just teach fire-starting or knife work — we create space for people to breathe, to rebuild, and to feel human again.
Our courses are intimate, with groups of no more than six, and we work closely with Ross Hoar, a Gestalt psychotherapist with nearly 40 years of experience supporting those who’ve lived through trauma, addiction, or loss.
We know a weekend in the woods won’t undo years of pain. But we also know how powerful it is to be among the trees, sharing stories around a fire, and learning the kind of skills that remind you you’re capable — of survival, of connection, of growth.​
